Arsenal v Newcastle preview

Arsenal v Newcastle preview

By Milly McEvoy 
Arsenal welcome Newcastle United to the Emirates on Saturday looking to bounce back from the heavy defeat to Liverpool last week. 
The Gunners came undone against some fine attacking play from the Merseyside team but will face a different challenge against Newcastle, an unknown one. 

Expect the unexpected 

Newcastle are still finding their feet since their takeover, yet to record a win under the ownership of the Public Investment Fund. 
But last week’s 3-3 draw against Brentford will give the Toon Army hope, particularly the sparkling performance by Joelinton, while Allan Saint-Maximin's late equaliser was a touch of class. 
Eddie Howe will likely make his touchline debut, having missed last week’s game with Covid, and he will be hoping to improve his record against Arsenal. 
The former Bournemouth gaffer recorded just one win over Arsenal during his time with the Cherries, losing eight and drawing two. 
It was in 2018 when Howe got his first, and so far only, win over the Gunners with Callum Wilson playing a key role. 
Howe and Wilson are back together at Newcastle, with fellow ex-Bournemouth player Matt Ritchie also set to be an integral part of the 43-year-old's plans for the Magpies. 
With Newcastle an unknown quantity under Howe and still searching for their win, this could be the worst possible time to face them. 

Can Arsenal go 10-in-a-row again? 

The 4-0 defeat to Liverpool ended Arsenal’s unbeaten run which had stretched to ten games, including big wins over Tottenham and Leicester City. 
The Gunners only face two teams above them in the table in their next ten games, taking on West Ham United on 15th December before a New Year’s Day tussle against Manchester City that could mark another perfect ten games. 
However, before they can think ahead to those matches, they must get over the first hurdle against Newcastle. 
And they could be buoyed by the return of Kieran Tierney and Martin Odegaard who were both on the bench for Arsenal’s trip to Liverpool as they make their comeback from injury. 
Odegaard came on for Alexandre Lacazette in the 67th minute, and with Arsenal only making five shots, compared to Liverpool’s 19, the whole game the side could do with some fresh ideas. 
While Tierney faces competition from Nuno Tavares in the left-back position who was part of three clean sheets in a row while standing in for the 24-year-old Scot. 

Aaron Ramsdale is Arsenal’s most important player 

While the starting XI could see some changes, one person who surely must keep their place is goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. 
The fact that Liverpool went in at half-time only 1-0 up, and that Arsenal just conceded four, is down almost solely to the 23-year-old. 
He pulled off a string of great saves to keep Arsenal in the game, and in many ways spared their blushes as they went down to a well-oiled machine in Liverpool. 
Bernd Leno has been on hand for the EFL Cup, keeping two clean sheets as Arsenal have beaten AFC Wimbledon and Leeds, but those achievements pale in comparison to that of Ramsdale. 
Ramsdale sits joint-fourth in the Golden Glove competition having kept five clean sheets so far this season, just two behind leader Edouard Mendy. 
He has kept them in plenty of games too, and as Mikel Arteta prepares to welcome a Newcastle searching for the first win of the Eddie Howe-era, he can be confident having Ramsdale between the posts. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images 

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